Hinged enclosure



P 1961 M. GERR ETAL 2,998,898

HINGED ENCLOSURE Filed D80. 4, 1959 INVENTORS MORRIS GERR ROBERT S. TILLSON A T'TORNE'Y United StatesPatent signors to General Electric Company, a corporation of I New York Filed Dec. 4, 1959, Ser. No. 857,397 4 Claims. (Cl.- 220-31) Our invention relates to enclosures having a hinged cover, and particularly to an enclosure including a cover having an overlapping peripheral flange and a hinge construction for hinging said cover to a side wall of the enclosure body adjacent the edge of the flange.

Enclosures of certain types, such as those used in electrical applications, require a cover having a peripheral flange to provide adequate sealing in case of a flash or arcing from within the enclosure and also to keep dust and dirt out of the enclosed device. For the same reasons, it is not permissible to have substantial openings or cracks at any point in the enclosure such as at the hinge points. At the same time, it is often desirable that the cover of such enclosure be readily removable, in order to facilitate the installation of an electric switch and the connecting of wiring thereto preparatory to use.

Prior art enclosure constructions suitable for electrical applications have included hinge constructions which are relatively expensive in order to provide these desired features. It is an object of this invention to provide an enclosure embodying a hinged cover construction which provides a continuous overlapping flange of the cover on the enclosure.

It is another object of the invention to provide an enclosure construction embodying a hinge in which no continuous opening is provided from the interior to the exterior of the switch.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an enclosure embodying a hinge construction whereby the cover is readily removable and replaceable.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a hinge construction which is relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture.

In accordance with the invention in one form, an enclosure construction is provided including a generally rectangular metallic box body and a cover therefor including a depending peripheral flange, and a hinge construction including a pair of projecting hinge pins mounted upon an intermediate portion of the side wall of the enclosure box body. The mounting of each of the hinge pins is accomplished by making a short cut in the side wall and deforming one elongated, adjacent portion outwardly and an oppositely extending elongated adjacent portion inwardly of the general plane of the wall. The

outwardly deformed portion serves as aseat to receive a portion of the hinge pin, which is rigidly attached therein by suitable means such as by welding. The inwardly deformed portion serves as a guide track in which the hinge bearing portions, carried by the flange of the cover, may be seated and slid therein into engagement with the hinge pins. A locking screw is then inserted from the interior of the enclosure into a tapped hole in the inwardly deformed portion beyond the end of the hinge pin to lock the hinge bearing thereon.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description, and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view, partially broken away, of an enclosure embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken generally on the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the hinge construction portion of the enclosure of FIGURE 1.

Referring to the drawing, the invention is disclosed as embodied in an enclosure for electrical devices comprising a generally rectangular box body 10 having a bottom wall (not shown) and four upstanding side walls (only three shown) and a correspondingly shaped cover 11 having a depending peripheral flange 12. The flange :12 of the cover is provided at one side with a pair of spaced integral projections which are return bent to form generally tubular bearings 14. The corresponding side wall of the enclosure body 10 has two cuts 13 and two elongated integral portions 15 adjacent each cut 13 deformed outwardly from the general plane of the body wall. in addition, two elongated portions 16 are provided adjacent and aligned with each of the portions 15 and deformed inwardly of the plane of the side wall. A hinge pin 17 is rigidly supported on the inner surface of each of the outwardly deformed portions 15 by suitable means, such as by welding. One of the portions 16 of the side wall of the enclosure is provided with a tapped aperture .18 having a stop screw 19 threadedly engaged therein from the interior of the enclosure and having its end projecting into the trough formed by the deformed portion 16, for a purpose to be described.

In assembly, the screw 19 is initially inserted only part way so as not to obstruct the channel formed by the deformed portion 16. The cover 11 is brought into position with respect to the side wall of the enclosure 10 so as to place the bearing portions 14 within the troughs provided by the deformed portions 16. The cover :11 is then slid longitudinally into place on the bearing pins 117. For the purpose of facilitating the alignment and starting of this assembly, one of the pins 17 is preferably made slightly shorter than the other. Following assembly of the hinge bearings 14 on the bearing pins 17, the locking screw 19 is turned inwardly to the position shown in FIGURE 2, in which it prevents the bearing portion 14 from sliding on of the pins 17. x l

By means of the construction described, theoutwardly deformed portions 15 are used to easily position the hinge pins 17 thus facilitating the welding operation as well as assuring alignmentof the two pins." At the same time, the inwardly deformed portions 16 serve as'a guiding track for supporting the hinge bearing portions '14 and guiding them onto the pins 17. v i

When the hinge is assembled, moreover, noidireet continuous path is afforded from the interior to the exterior of the enclosure. The construction disclosed also permits mounting of the hinge pins .17 on an integral portion of the side wall of the enclosure 10 without increasing the overall size of the blank required to construct the enclosure and also without lancing out or bending out any lug portions which would leave a direct opening through the side wall of the enclosure. 12

While we have disclosed only one particular embodiment of the invention, it will be readily apparent that many modifications thereof may be made by those skilled in the art and we therefore intend by the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An enclosure comprising a generally rectangular box body having a bottom wall and upstanding side walls, a cover for said box body, one of said side walls having a pair of aligned spaced apart elongated intermediate portions each deformed outwardly of the general plane of said side wall, said deformed portions each being parted.

pair of hinge pins each having a first portion seated in a respective one of said elongated grooves and fixedly attached to a respective one of said deformed portions and a second portion projecting beyond said groove and extending adjacent the outer surface of said wall and in spaced parallel relationship thereto, said projecting portions of said hinge pins extending in the same direction, said cover having a pair of generally tubular hinge bearing portions disposed and arranged to be respectively received on said hinge pins by lateral movement parallel to the outside wall surface of said side wall, and blocking means adjacent the free end of the second portion of one of said hinge pins for preventing removal of said hinge bearing portions from said hinge pins.

2. An enclosure comprising a generally rectangular box body having a bottom wall and upstanding side walls, a cover for said box body having a peripheral depending flange, one of said side walls having a pair of aligned spaced apart elongated intermediate portions each deformed outwardly of the general plane of said side wall, said deformed portions each being parted from the adjacent wall portion at the same respective end to provide an elongated groove in the inner surface of said wall having an opening to the outside of said wall, a pair of hinge pins each having a first portion seated in a respective one of said grooves and fixedly attached to a respective one of said deformed portion and a second portion projecting beyond said groove and extending adjacent the outer surface of said wall and in spaced parallel relationship thereto, said projecting portions of said hinge pins extending in the same direction, said cover flange having a pair of generally tubular hinge bearing portions disposed and arranged to be respectively received on said hinge pins by lateral movement parallel to the outside wall surface of said side wall, and a blocking screw threadedly engaged in a portion of said side wall adjacent the free end of the second portion of one of said hinge pins, said blocking screw being retractable to a position substantially flush with said outer wall surface to permit the assembly of said hinge bearing portions on said hinge pins, said blocking screw being movable to a blocking position following assembly of said hingebean'ng portions to prevent removal thereof.

3. An enclosure comprising a generally rectangular box body having a bottom wall and upstanding side walls, a cover for said box body having a peripheral depending flange overlapping said side walls, one of said side Walls having a pair of aligned spaced apart stationary hinge pin assemblies, each of said assemblies comprising a first integral elongated intermediate portion of said side wall deformed outwardly of the general plane of said side wall and parted fromsaid side wall at the same respective end of said elongated portion and a second elongated portion adjacent said end of said first elongated portion deformed inwardly of said side wall and aligned with said first elongated portion, a hinge pin seated in and fixedly attached to said outwardly deformed portion and projecting beyond said outwardly deformed portion into the space defined by said inwardly deformed portion and being in spaced parallel relationship to said side wall, said depending flange portion of said cover including a pair of aligned spaced apart generally tubular hinge bearing portions each having an external portion dimensioned to be received within a respective one of said inwardly deformed portions and to be moved slidably along said inwardly deformed portions, each of said hinge pins being dimensioned and positioned so as to enter a respective one of said hinge bearing portions as said portions are slid along said inwardly deformed portions, and means for releasably retaining said hinge bearing portions on said hinge pins.

4. An enclosure comprising a generally rectangular box body having a bottom wall and upstanding generally planar side walls, one of said side walls having a pair of aligned hinge pin supporting portions, each of said hinge pin supporting portions comprising a pair of contiguous aligned elongated integral portions of said wall deformed out of the plane of said wall, one of said elongated portions being deformed outwardly of said enclosure and the other of said elongated portions being deformed inwardly of said enclosure, said contiguous deformed portions of each pair being parted at their mutually adjacent ends with the outwardly deformed portions of both hinge pin supporting portions opening to the outside of and toward the same end of said one side wall, a pair of hinge pins each having a first portion positioned in and fixedly attached to a respective one of said outwardly deformed portions and a second portion projecting out of the respective outwardly deformed portion and into the space adjacent the corresponding inwardly deformed portion and in spaced parallel relationship to said side wall, a cover for said box body having a peripheral depending flange, including a pair of aligned spaced apart generally tubular hinge bearing portions, each of said hinge bearing portions being dimensioned to be received in a respective one of the grooves formed by said inwardly deformed portions, each of said hinge pins being dimensioned and positioned to be received within a respective one of said hinge bearing portions as said hinge bearing portions are slid along said grooves provided by said inwardly deformed portions, and a blocking screw threadedly received in an aperture in said wall adjacent the free end of the second portion of one of said hinge pins, said blocking screw being retractable to permit insertion and removal of said hinge bearing members on said hinge pins and said blocking screw being inset-table to a blocking position to prevent removal of said hinge bearing members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 201,660 Flint Mar. 26, 1878 778,144 Poole Dec. 20, 1904 928,881 Parsons July 20, 1909 2,664,221 Seltzer Dec. 29, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 117,303 Switzerland Nov. 1, 1926 444,915 Great Britain Mar. 31, 1936 

